Kate Beckett, Mall Cop
by MyNameIsJeffNImLost
Summary: "Oh, this is all a big joke to you. Isn't it, Castle? But when Beckett is working mall security, I guess following her around isn't gonna have quite the same allure." Fluff 'warning'.


_Summary: "_Oh, this is all a big joke to you. Isn't it, Castle? But when Beckett is working mall security, I guess following her around isn't gonna have quite the same allure." - Roy Montgomery, from_ Castle_, "To Live and Die in LA", 3.22.

Disclaimer: Nobody else owns anything here, so why would I?

Disclaimer 2: No beta. Why would I sucker/obligate/subject anyone into reading this when they didn't want to?

_15 May 2011_

**XXXXXXXX**

Detective Kate Beckett still couldn't believe it. Ok, maybe it could be worse. At least she hadn't been fired… or assigned to parking ticket enforcement.

Taking a trip to LA wasn't technically against orders. The captain told her he hoped she wasn't going to do anything reckless. She caught the guy, which in her book proved her actions weren't reckless. She had paid for her "vacation" out of her own pocket. Well, Castle paid for the upgrade… and the hotel… and the meals… and the hotel favors he snuck in her bag. But at least the department didn't have to pay for anything. They never found out about her interrogation of Reggie the security guard, but she was very careful about not saying she was _LA_PD, so technically she had not impersonated an LAPD police officer. She really only had to be reprimanded for two things.

First, she and Castle did commit a breaking and entering offense. With Violet Young being in trouble, there was arguably probable cause. Violet wasn't about to press charges considering the B&E helped save her life. So the only punishment was a letter in Beckett's file. It wasn't the first slap on the hand in her file. (She had broken the interrogation room mirror a couple months ago.) It wouldn't be the last letter. All good cops pushed the boundaries occasionally. Weighed against the dozens of letters of commendation she had earned, it wasn't a big deal. In fact, she was getting another such positive letter from the LAPD police chief for her assistance in capturing a dangerous arms dealer and helping recover the dissolving bullets.

The bigger problem was the captain's order to get on the next plane back to New York. She didn't follow that order. She wasn't getting the normal reprimand, because while he could order her to stop working on Royce's case and could cancel her vacation, he couldn't reasonably order her on the 'next plane.' So instead, the captain found a more creative form of punishment. One of which he was way too proud.

That punishment is why Detective Beckett found herself on the sidewalk of Fifth Avenue, wearing the police uniform she hadn't worn since the last officer funeral she had attended. It meant flats instead of her favored high-heeled boots. Today, she was assigned patrol duty of the Fifth Avenue shopping strip. Her punishment was one full day of getting reports of teenage purse snatchers, tracking down shoplifters, and defending sales clerks against hostile power shoppers. The annoying prospects for the day resulted in Beckett finding herself in Castle's shoes, hoping for a murder. While she might not be included in the investigation, it was the only way Esposito and Ryan wouldn't be tracking her down during their lunch break to give her a hard time.

The only saving grace was Castle would not see her like this. She had made it quite clear to him last night that he would not be following her today. Today she was a flatfoot, and he wouldn't want to spend all day chasing her around. He pushed back, even saying he should share in her punishment. Beckett refused to back down, and he finally gave in.

Beckett got a call from dispatch, telling her she was needed at 555 Fifth Avenue. The store there had requested a police presence as security for some celebrity. Great. Prima donna shopping. Dead bodies were so much easier to deal with. The store was between 45th and 46th, just a couple blocks away. She was almost there when her phone buzzed with an alert. She hoped it wasn't one of her fellow detectives. She really didn't need to be taunted the entire day. Although she had given Castle instructions not to distract her with messages, she secretly hoped he would ignore that order. She needed a laugh about now. He always made her feel better, even when he was being annoying. Looking at her phone, she saw it wasn't a text message, it was an RSS web site alert.

_No. It couldn't be._

She flipped to the web site just as she reached her destination: Barnes and Noble. She looked at the phone and couldn't believe it. She looked in the store window, and there it was—a cardboard cut-out of Richard Castle.

_I'm going to kill him. Esposito and Ryan are going to have a homicide to work after all._

The web site alert from richardcastle dot net and the sign attached to the card board cut-off confirmed the same thing. Richard Castle would be in the store from 11am to 3pm for a book reading and signing.

"Looking good, Detective."

Beckett jumped at the sound of her partner's voice. "Castle!" She turned and leveled a glare that had Castle stepping away and saying 'Apples!' without her even touching him. "I thought I told you that you're not to follow me around today."

"I'm not. You're following me around." He grinned.

"That's splitting hairs."

Castle shrugged. "Maybe so. But this is part of _my _job. And I seem to remember you liking the idea of following me around and annoying me at my work."

"That was a onetime thing," Beckett rebutted.

"Which you dressed up for. I loved the fuchsia dress." Beckett couldn't believe he remembered what she wore. Castle continued, "Although I think I like what you are wearing now just as much. If you popped a couple buttons, pulled out your shirt, and tied a knot just above your midriff—"

"I am not dressing up as your stripper fantasy of Nikki Heat for your book signing."

Castle gave her a sultry look. "Trust me. My fantasies have nothing to do with Nikki Heat. Although you—"

Beckett poked Castle hard in the chest. "Don't you dare finish that statement." She had to stop this line of conversation before he asked who often had a starring role in her fantasies. Her unavoidable embarrassment would make any response unnecessary.

Castle flinched. "Ok. Ok. Just keep in mind that someone might take a video of your brutality of me. When you're in street clothes, it's no big deal. When you're in uniform, it's the type of thing that makes the news."

Beckett's eyes widened, and she looked around. He did have a point. However, she wasn't going to let him completely off the hook. "So what am I supposed to do? Watch you sign women's chests all day."

"First of all, that is only at private book parties. I've never done that in a family bookstore. However, if you want an autograph, I might make an exception." Castle wagged his eyebrows.

Beckett rolled her eyes in response.

"Second, I need you here to protect me from my throngs of adoring fans."

That earned a groan.

"And any ninja assassins that wander by."

That earned a glare. After a pause, she finally said, "No one better find out I'm Nikki Heat." She hesitated and shook her head at what she just said. "I mean no one better find out I inspired Nikki Heat."

Castle held up his fingers in a scout's pledge. Beckett stared at him in disapproval for a couple of seconds before turning to enter the bookstore. With her back to him, she finally let out a tiny, closed-mouth smile.

The store manager was very apologetic about the short notice. Castle's publisher set up the signing with her just this morning. The short notice is part of the reason they agreed to a signing time that was so long. Despite the last minute rush to get everything ready, she was thrilled to have a best-selling author in her store for half the day.

The day went pretty smoothly. A couple of store employees were responsible for crowd control. No one caused any problems. It was so calm, Beckett felt guilty and checked in with dispatch twice to see if she was needed elsewhere. She wasn't. So she simply stayed in the background watching Castle work—secretly enjoying it. The line was never too long, so he had the opportunity to talk with a lot of his fans. He was very giving to his fans. Also, Castle frequently gave her little looks with a twinkle in his eyes and a small grin, but no one picked up on it.

A couple of the fans seemed to give her a curious long look, but no one approached her as Nikki Heat. The uniform was a good disguise. Most people saw the badge and diverted their eyes. Gina showed up around noon, and didn't even notice her. Not that the self-centered harpy ever noticed anything that wasn't directly related to herself. After she harassed Castle a few minutes, he looked like he was about to break her cover and ask for help. Fortunately, Paula showed up, causing Gina to head directly for the door.

Sometime after one, Martha arrived with meals for both Castle and Beckett. She seemed to know Beckett was "undercover" in uniform, so she didn't make a big deal about it. She gave her a quick wink and then left to return to her studio.

Castle performed three separate readings from _Naked Heat_. At 2:30, he surprised everyone with a short excerpt from the unfinished _Heat Rises_. Beckett could have sworn that every time he looked up, he was looking directly at her. It made her feel like he was reading it just for her. She suspected that he was only providing the preview because she was there (and she suspected Gina didn't know about it). One thing was certain. She was going to start harassing Castle for an early draft of his book the next chance she had. If she had to, she would act like he was annoying her more than usual, fake getting mad at him, and then guilt him into giving her a draft. It might be sneaky, but it was her right as his 'muse.' She couldn't wait four months to find out what happened with Nikki and Jameson as they went rouge.

Alexis showed up a little after three, slid beside Beckett, and linked her arm with hers. Castle was animated as he talked with a couple of fans who were appreciating his personal attention. Upon seeing his daughter, Castle politely excused himself and walked over. He gave Alexis a kiss on the cheek and flashed a big grin at Beckett, which she couldn't help but return.

The store manager thanked her profusely again her help (which Beckett would admit was basically standing around, Castle-watching). She checked in with dispatch and then returned to Castle.

"I have to get back to my patrol route," she told him.

"Thanks for watching me all day. _I _didn't find it the least bit creepy," Castle teased.

Kate chuckled. "I'd say 'anytime', but we're back on homicide tomorrow, so this was a onetime deal."

"Too bad," Castle feigned disappointment.

Alexis was grinning at the whole exchange. Beckett belatedly realized she shouldn't be doing her typical flirty banter with Castle in front of his daughter. Slightly embarrassed she still felt obligated to say, "Thanks, Castle, for having my back and helping speed the day along."

"I'll always have your back," Castle said sincerely. "And following you as you work mall security still has the allure," he added with a glint in his eyes.

Beckett smiled slightly, hiding the full grin she felt inside. "I'll see you at the precinct tomorrow, Castle. Bye, Alexis."

"Bye, Detective Beckett."

"Until tomorrow, Detective."

Beckett finished her shift, having trouble keeping a smile off her face. Her partner had gone the extra mile to brighten her day. Like he always did. Like she knew he always would.

**XXXXXXXX**

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this. It ended up more fluffy than funny. Oh well. I have a feeling we are going to need a lot of fluff after the finale.


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